Nest

It's with huge restraint that we don't go into Nest every time we pass by.

Once you enter the lovely Nest lair you'll know what we mean. At first, you feel like you're walking into a French flea market. Then as you stroll further into the shop you feel a little bit like you're somewhere in the Far East.

Nest just has an amazing blend of beautiful rustic French furnishings and accessories entwined with colorful, bohemian and luxurious bedding, pillows and clothing of French, Moroccan, Indian, Chinese ethnic styles.

Mother and daughter team Judy Gilman and Marcella Madsen own and operate Nest. These women have exquisite taste and certainly no fear of color. They also have the enviable career of going on buying trips all over the world in search of Nest's unusual treasures. Sources include Paris, London, Japan and even the Alameda Flea Market, where we have seen Judy leaving with her cart piled high with gorgeous finds we clearly arrived too late for.

You don't necessarily come to Nest to bargain hunt, but you will find some really special furnishings and accessories that you won't see anywhere else. Furniture prices do run to the high side - some of the larger antiques like beds and dressers are in the thousand dollar range, but tucked in among them are a few inexpensive gems you won't feel guilty about taking home. There are lots of accessories, tableware and linens at very reasonable prices. We grabbed up some Moroccan tea glasses while we had the chance at just $4 each.

Drop into Nest and be filled with at least a touch of wanderlust and a whole lot of inspiration. This place is what Anthropologie would be if it was a neighborhood mom & pop shop. (Or, in this case, mom & daughter shop.) It's a bit girly, with a cosmopolitan, funky and sophisticated edge.